The physical dimensions of the home learning environment and its impact on young people’s learning motivations

Abstract

This article brings a novel perspective to the relationship between the physical dimensions of Home Learning Environments (HLE) and young people’s learning motivations during COVID-19 pandemic in UK. The architectural/physical focus of this investigation helps orient the reader to the literature/expertise I draw on. Based on 28 young people (16–18 years-old), the article evidences that comparing the HLE with the School Learning Environment (SLE), participants recognised the value of peer pressure and social learning environment to enhance learning motivations. Most participants found little use in home-schooling and wanted to return to in-person teaching. Students who adjusted the physical dimensions of the HLE were more motivated, especially if they had a private, semi-dedicated, or dedicated HLE. The article ends by exploring how the home-schooling experience during the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to re-imagine HLE as a complementary learning environment to SLE, motivate young people to learn and support independent learning activities.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Physical learning environment
• learning motivations
• home learning environment
• school learning environment
• young people’s perspectives
• visual methods

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Xin Yun Hu, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

SUBJECTS:

• Architecture; Classroom Practice; Secondary Education

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to all participating young people, their teachers and their schools engaged in the data collection for their most active cooperation and thoughtfulness.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

Lancaster University, FASS & LUMS Research Ethics Committee & UREC. Ethics approval reference FL20057.

Notes

1 Timeline of the UK coronavirus lockdowns and measures between March 2020 and December 2021 available here: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/charts/uk-government-coronavirus-lockdowns.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ana Rute Costa

Ana Rute Costa is an architect and an educational researcher with a strong specialism in Learning and Teaching spaces. Her research and professional practice focuses on analysing the impact of the built environment in teaching and learning through ethnographic and visual research methods. She specialises in policies and practices that affect the design of spaces and products that enable learning to take place.

She is also the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Architecture at Lancaster University and certified Passivhaus Designer, fostering to create dynamic links and knowledge exchange between academia and architectural practice. She is an expert on Material Reuse and Material Passports and she has several research projects funded in this area.

Photo of the author(s), including details of who is in the photograph - please note that we can only publish one photo